1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to an improvement in a clutch engagement apparatus for a double-bearing fishing reel.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Clutch mechanisms for double-bearing fishing reels are known, such as that shown in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,812. A conventional clutch mechanism is arranged so that a pinion which meshes with a drive gear on a handle shaft is slidably fitted onto a spool shaft. The pinion can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the spool shaft as desired by a clutch plate which is urged by a dead-point spring so that it can oscillate between a position at which the pinion is connected to the spool shaft and a position at which it is separated therefrom. The clutch plate is actuated by an operating member which is carried transversely behind the spool so that the pinion can be separated from the spool shaft to enable the paying out of the fishing line. The clutch plate can also move in the opposite direction, making use of a rotational action of the handle shaft so that the pinion is re-engaged with the spool shaft and the fishing line can be re-wound.
A variety of fishing methods are used these days. For instance, when a bass lies behind an obstacle close to the shore, and consequently it is difficult to tempt the bass to strike by casting a lure, it is general practice to adopt a fishing method known as "flipping" wherein a lure is cast so that it is placed before the nose of the bass.
In properly-effected "flipping", however, a difficulty is experienced when using a conventional clutch mechanism such as that described above, which is arranged to enable a change-over of the reel between two states, a line-release state and a line wind-up state. More specifically, in such a clutch mechanism, the spool is held in a freely-rotating state unless the handle is turned, so that it is extremely difficult to make the lure dance as soon as it lands on the water surface to tempt the bass, and pull out the fish when it takes the lure.
However, a reel which is exclusively used for "flipping" is also known, as shown in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,694. The reel is arranged so that, when a clutch-operating member is pressed, the pinion is separated from the spool shaft, and when that pressing operation is cancelled, the pinion is connected to the spool shaft. This type of reel is, however, not suitable for ordinary fishing.